(A random number was chosen via random.org for purchases 285-319).
Thank you everyone for your business and support. I loved doing Customer Appreciation Month and will be sure to do more in the future!

There's one more event this month! Enter to win a full size package of Booty Cubes wipes solution! Drawing to be held 11/30/09.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

There are many options for caring for your wool. Each one you may find to have benefits over the other (which is why I personally have a tub full of various types of wool wash!)

Liquid Wool Wash: These are made commercially and by WAHMs and have everything together - wool wash and liquid lanolin. Wash and lanolize with one easy step. No rinsing required. They have just enough lanolin to keep your wool working right with every wash.

Wool Wash Bar: This is a solid form of wool wash (usually with lanolin). Great for stains and soil spots - just rub gently on wet wool and rinse. You can also use a wool wash bar to make a sink full of sudsy water to soak your woolies in and get the same effect as a liquid wool wash. Depending on the suds, you may need to rinse slightly. I find the liquid tends to have a bit more lanolin content, depends on the maker.

Spray Lanolin: This is a form of liquid lanolin with no wash, put into a fine mist sprayer. Used to freshen up your woolies between washing (get a scent you LOVE!), or to add more lanolin after washing (especially helpful for night wool). Great for the "wetzone" area. Can be sprayed on wet or dry wool. I prefer to spray it on wet and it seems to soak in better.

Regular Wash: You can easily wash your wool using baby shampoo, or other mild soap/shampoo. You may not even need to lanolize for a few washes. When you notice they start to soak up too much liquid, smell, or not function right, its time to lanolize them.

Solid Lanolin: You can lanolize your wool separate from washing (great if you do a regular wash, or if you need an extra lanolin boost). Using Lansinoh (the purple tube you may recognize from breastfeeding) and very hot water to melt it, add to a sink full of warm water and your wool.

Liquid Lanolin: Like solid lanolin that you don't have to melt!

Tips:
- Wash your wool inside out! Just in case your lanolin is not fully melted to avoid lanolin dark spots. Also it gets the bulk of the lanolin where you want it - on the inside!
- I prefer not to have my wool "sticky" with lanolin, but you'll figure out the right amount for you.
- Pick different scents and try them out, there are some wonderful ones out there!
- The most inexpensive option is to wash with baby shampoo and lanolize yourself with solid lanolin. Its a bit more time consuming, and doesn't have the fancy scents...but is definitely the cheapest!

All of my favorite sellers seem to have their shops closed right now :( Ewe Need It (liquid, spray, and bars)Ignite the Senses (bars)Blue House Soaps (bars)
Eucalan is a good commercial brand. And there are LOTS of sellers on Etsy and HyenaCart that offer wool wash products.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Cassondra at Booty Cubes was kind enough to offer up some of her amazing wipes solution cubes to my customers! I LOVE her wipes solution and foaming wipes solution, and she's wonderful to work with. If you've considered using cloth wipes before, her scents might help you make the decision!

BONUS BLOG GIVEAWAY! (drawing to be held 9pm PST, November 30th)
I'll be giving away a full sized package (2 oz) of Monkey Fartz scented Booty Cubes, along with a turned and top-stitched wipe (both donated by Cassondra) to one lucky winner!
COMMENT ON THIS POST TO BE ENTERED!
Gain an additional entry (up to 3) by leaving a comment that you are:
- Following Booty Cubes on Facebook
- Following Winkydinks on Facebook
- Following Winkydinks on Twitter

Monday, November 16, 2009

Here are the details of this week's giveaway. You MUST comment on the ORIGINAL post HERE to be entered.

Giveaway #3 - November 22nd - Blog giveaway - I'll give away one custom fleece hat or diaper soaker to a current or future customer! Gain one entry by leaving a comment here about your favorite Winkydinks purchase or current item in my shop. Gain additional entries by leaving a separate comment stating you:
- follow me on Facebook
- follow my blog publicly
and/or
- follow me on Twitter(up to 4 entries/comments per person. Your profile must be public so I know how to contact you, or leave your email address in the comment). Winner has 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.

Monday, November 2, 2009

In most cases, sizes for cloth diaper covers are not as helpful as actual measurements. Here is a visual on how to calculate your child's measurements. If you don't have a flexible tape measure, this method also works with a straight ruler. (Or, you can take a piece of string and measure your results.)

Sometimes it's easier to measure a well fitting pair of pants than your squirmy child :) Keep in mind that if the pants you are measuring have an elastic waistband, you need to account for how much they are stretched when worn to get a good waist approximation. Also, remember to account for the bulk of the diaper you'll be putting underneath (hips and rise). Of course, if you have a cooperative child, you can also measure their body with a flexible tape or string.

When purchasing covers, remember that listed measurements are often "at rest" (which is what is shown below), but usually include a range that it will stretch to. If the item says the waist fits from 15-17" and your baby is 17", they will fit tighter but still be in the right range. Also, if you are at the maximum waist measurement, getting the cover over a bulky diaper might be difficult.

WAIST: The part that sits 1" or so ABOVE the diaper, near the belly button. Measure one side of the pants, then double for your waist measurement. Here the result is 16". (If measuring on the body, just put the tape/string around their waist like a belt for your result). Remember that the waist measurement must also stretch enough to get up and over the HIP measurement (see below).

RISE*: This is the measurement from front to back, through the crotch. You can start at the back, loop through the crotch and measure the result. Here the result is 17". (If you don't have a flexible tape, use string. Or simply measure the front, then add to the back. Often the front is slightly lower than the back, depending on design). Tape is slightly crooked to show the tape at the back. You should measure straight!

THIGH: Measure just below the crotch, at the fatty part of the thigh. Double your result for the thigh measurement. Here the result is 10". (Often you want longies to fit loose at the thigh, more like pants.)Thigh measurement on a soaker (which usually you want to fit snug). Here the result is 9". (If measuring on the body, just put the tape/string all the way around their thigh for your result)HIPS: This is the part just below the waist and hip bones (where the cloth diaper is). Measure across the front, and double your result. Here the result is 19". More room in the hips also allows for a more bulky diaper underneath. (If measuring on the body, just put the tape/string around their hips and OVER the diaper you'll be covering for your result).

INSEAM: Crotch to ankle measurement. Measure straight down. Here the result is 8".

*Notes about RISE: This measurement makes sure you have enough coverage to get the cover to actually cover the top of the diaper at the waist. When covering a fluffy bum, you need to make sure there is enough extra (or enough stretch) to allow for the bulk of the diaper. Otherwise, your rise shortens by an inch or two and you'll wind up with a cover that doesn't cover the waist of the diaper. Most wool stretches plenty to allow for this, however fleece does not stretch vertically, so be sure to add some to your actual rise measurement.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

I'm so excited to have had a great first year on Etsy! I started by making diaper covers for myself, then friends, then selling them on Etsy a year ago, and now have over 280 sales and 340 hearts! I am so proud to have such a following and great customers. I pride myself on great customer service and hope you are all enjoying your purchases!

So for the month of November, I have lots going on to honor my wonderful customers: sales, charity donations, and weekly giveaways!

CHARITY DONATION
10% of all sales in the month of November will be donated to Miracle Diapers.
You can also help by purchasing this listing to send soakers to MD as well.

GIVEAWAYSGiveaway #1- November 8th - Winner to choose ANY ONE item from my store for free (value up to $15.00)! I'll randomly select one of my past customers and contact them via Etsy convo (and e-mail if I have one). Winner has 7 days to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway #2 - November 15th - Winner receives a large sample of Crunchy Clean diaper detergent (unscented). I'll randomly select one of my past customers and contact them via Etsy convo (and e-mail if I have one). Winner has 7 days to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway #3 - November 22nd - Blog giveaway - I'll give away one custom fleece hat or diaper soaker to a current or future customer! Gain one entry by leaving a comment here about your favorite Winkydinks purchase or current item in my shop. Gain additional entries by leaving a separate comment stating you:
- follow me on Facebook
- follow my blog publicly
and/or
- follow me on Twitter(up to 4 entries/comments per person. Your profile must be public so I know how to contact you, or leave your email address in the comment). Winner has 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway #4 - November 29th - All purchases made Nov 1- Nov 29th at 9pm PDT, will be entered into a drawing, and the winner will receive a Paypal refund for their purchase of one item! (multi-item orders will receive refund for one item. Refund will not include shipping costs.)BONUS GIVEAWAY - November 30th - A full sized package of Booty Cubes wipes solution (Monkey Fartz scent) and a cloth wipe. Entries must be made on the original blog post.(Winners will be posted on my Etsy store and on this blog. Random customer from sales history chosen by exporting Etsy sales into an Excel file and using random.org to select a line number).